Eat Good, Feel Good, Look Good. . .Living Great!

Drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your body. It helps regulate body temperature, protect vital organs, and even improve the way you look. I know sipping on the same old thing all the time can get boring. If you’re looking for a more flavorful way to get your H2O, try infused waters!

Loaded with fruits, veggies and herbs, these supercharged waters will help you stay hydrated while relieving some of your biggest health complaints.

How Long Does Fruit-Infused Water Last?

Infused water is best enjoyed after two or more hours or after it has had a chance to infuse overnight. The length of time it lasts depends entirely on the type of fruit, vegetables, and herbs you use.

Some people reuse the same fruit and add another batch of fresh water over it once you have gone through your first batch. It will depend on the freshness of the fruits/veggies you are using.

Citrus fruits are best cut fresh for your batches because the rind can add bitterness to your fruit-infusions. I like to keep my lemons, limes, and oranges fresh for that reason while reusing my berries for several batches.

Once you get the hang of making your own batches of infused water you will have a better idea of timelines.

Citrus Sensation

This infused water – rich with foods like lemon and cucumber – can bust bloat. Plus, it can last on the counter for up to three days!

Ingredients

2 lemons, sliced

1/2 cucumber

10-12 mint leaves

3 quarts water

Directions

Combine all the ingredients together. Let it brew overnight, and drink it warm.

Pineapple-Strawberry Cooler

This fruity infused water is more than refreshing – it will help you relax.

Ingredients

12 oz water

1/4 cup strawberries, crushed

1/4 cup pineapple, crushed

1 sage leaf

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in water, and put it in the freezer. Drink cold.

Anti-Aging: Berry Blast

This flavor-filled water will keep you looking young! Dark berries and pomegranate seeds are rich in the antioxidants you need to help protect against aging. Skip sodas and sugary drinks and opt instead for this naturally sweet longevity-booster.

Tangerine Weight-Orade

This infused water is packed with metabolism boosters that will help you lose weight fast! Delicious and fat-burning, this drink is the best of both worlds.

Ingredients

8 cups brewed green tea

1 tangerine, sliced

A handful of mint leaves

Directions

In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. Stir the concoction in the evening so all the flavors fuse together overnight. Drink one pitcher daily for maximum metabolism-boosting results.

Wash the kale, and be sure to dry it as thoroughly as possible or it won’t crisp up well.

Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and coat them in olive oil (and vinegar, if you’re using it.)

Lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet; too much overlapping will lead to limp kale. Sprinkle with salt and seasonings.

Bake for about six minutes. If they’re still not quite crispy, turn them over and bake another six minutes, but this step may not be necessary. Remove the kale chips from the oven before they starts to brown, or they’ll be bitter.

Repeat the whole process, if you want to actually save some, because this batch will be gone before you know it.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place chuck roast in and the rest of the ingredients.

Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat has fully shredded. Turn the meat over a few times during the 8 hours. At about hour 7 I took a fork and started shredding the beef and removing any excess large pieces of fat. Let cook for the last hour shredded to soak up the sauce! Serve in soft corn or flour tortillas. Top with shredded cabbage slaw and green onions.

shredded cabbage slaw

1 bag shredded coleslaw from the grocery store’s produce section

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

toss together and serve immediately
(it gets too soggy if you make it early in the day)

Preheat oven to 400. If using butter or coconut oil, place it in a small bowl in the oven to melt (make sure you don’t forget about it!). Scrub potatoes and cut into 4-5 inch chunks (depending on how long you want your fries to be). Cut each chunk into 1/4 inch slivers, then slice the slivers into sticks. Try to make all the sticks the same thickness, so they will cook evenly. Place the sticks into a large bowl and drizzle with butter/oil. Mix well with hands or a big spoon. Spread onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 1/2 hour, or until desired brownness.

1 cup cheddar cheese (I don’t eat dairy so I made mine without cheese and they are still delicious)

salt

pepper

Serves: 5-7

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly grease your muffin pan with spray or oil on a paper towel, set aside.

Saute the Chopped Onions in a pan with the tablespoon of oil, until translucent.

Crack the eggs in a bowl and beat as if making scrambled eggs. Salt and Pepper eggs to taste.

Into the greased muffin cups add about 3 or 4 leaves of Spinach. (You probably won’t use the whole bag.).

Top the Spinach with about a teaspoon each of the sauted Onions.

Top the onions with about 1 Tablespoon each of the Cheddar Cheese.

Then ladle enough egg mixture into each muffin cup to fill the tin about 2/3 full.

Bake your little quiches for 10-20 minutes, (depending on the size of your muffin tin cups.) They should be nicely browned on top, but do not overcook. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

Let your quiche-muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then using a dinner knife, gently run the blade around the perimeter of each muffin to loosen. Then plop them carefully on a plate to finish cooling and serve.

I’m not a chef 🙂 but I am always trying to find new ways to enhance the flavor of food. Fair warning: The owner of this recipe said “I like to cook in big batches, so I don’t have to cook a lot later!” So, scale down the ingredients if you’d like to make a smaller portion.

Ingredients:

1 bundle of asparagus

1 small bag of snow peas

2 medium to small yellow squash

1 zucchini

1 small bag of baby carrots

1 package of grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

1 small bag of baby red potatoes (a.k.a. red bliss or you can use fingerling potatoes)

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 tablespoons Rosemary (If you are using fresh, then it would be 3 tablespoons)

2 1/2 tablespoons Basil (If you are using fresh, then it would be 1/3 cup basil)

McCormick’s steak seasoning’s (pepper mix-it’s part of their Grinders series)

Salt

1 1/2 tablespoons Garlic Salt

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees

Cut squash and potatoes into chunks. For the asparagus, snap at the appropriate areas for them. This is usually about 1 to 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the asparagus. Then cut Asparagus in half. Not down the middle in half, but across. We want to leave the spears intact.

Next, you will want to mix the vegetables in one bowl. Unless you have a really HUGE bowl, then do like me and use 2 separate bowls.

Once the vegetables are in the bowl, sprinkle your EVOO all around the top of them. This will probably wind up being about 1/4 cup.

Add all of the seasonings on top. Now, Use the salt and McCormick’s pepper mix to your own liking. Everyone has their own salt and pepper threshold. Some might even want to add more rosemary and less basil, but to each their own. With a wooden spatula, fold all of the vegetables and seasoning together. Keep mixing until you are sure that the ingredients are nice and spread out.

When done, place your vegetables into a deep baking dish. I had to use two! lol..don’t judge me. Cover the dishes with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, take off the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. If you like your vegetables more al dente, then lessen the covered cooking time.

Voila! You’re all done! Now just enjoy it! This makes a great “anytime-of-the-year” dish or side dish to appeal to the masses